Diskjokke - 1987

Diskjokke - 1987
For all their public rebukes of the term, our friends in the North have never quite been able to shake the disco tag. Whether it's embarrassment at the natural cornball factor that the association implies, or (more likely) an aversion to arbitrary categorisation that could hem in their transcendental ambition, Prins Thomas, Lindstrom & co. have always tried their best to thwart the "D" word. But, for better or worse, we live in a world of labels, and—while not exactly a saccharine hustle with the brothers Gibb—for the music beaming out of Oslo currently, disco (with qualifications) is probably most fitting. Or is it? In his patchwork opus, "Taktraver," Diskjokke (Joachim Dyrdahl) may have offered the most convincing vindication yet of their protestations.

It's a prog symphony with grand designs, though instead of the elfin-siren-digs-crusty-beard-in-pixieland vibe, Drydahl has us hot-stepping on the tundra with aurora borealis for visuals. A cluster of spacey leitmotifs unleashed at counterpoint make its modest six minutes seem decidedly epic: Bass that wouldn't sound alien to John Digweed, a chord homage to Lindstrom, vibraphone chimes, distorted strings, rave stabs, piano cadences, static fills…in total, I count no fewer than nine different melodic themes that overlap and intertwine in harmony rather than confusion. If you're into labels, it's contemporary space baroque music with a 4/4 beat, basically.

Prins Thomas applies his "DIY-drums" approach to the track "1987" (taken from Diskjokke's recent album En Fin Tid), letting the cosmic strength of the original shine through for the most part, while compatriots, Ost & Kjex, take 2008's "Interpolation" to brave new afro-tech places. As the vinyl completes its orbit, however, it is Dyrdahl himself who casts the most celestial shadow.